Tourism Port Douglas Daintree - Industry

21/09/2026

A big thank you to everyone who joined us at Cosmos Cocktail Lounge last Thursday for our TPDD Members Networking Event!
It was great to see so many new and familiar faces and have the opportunity to catch up, connect and hear what’s happening across our local tourism community.
A special thank you to the wonderful team at Cosmos Lounge Port Douglas for hosting us and looking after everyone so well.
Thanks again to everyone who came along and made it such an enjoyable evening. We look forward to the next one!

📸 Leandro Furlanetto

17/09/2026

We’re looking forward to seeing you this evening at our TPDD Update & Industry Function!
If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, there are still a few spots available – let us know you’re coming via the link below.
TPDD members attend free, and non-members are very welcome to join us for $20.
See you at 4pm!

https://events.humanitix.com/september-2026-tpdd-networking-event

16/09/2026

Tourism Port Douglas Daintree Board Nominations are now open.

Nominations are now open for positions on the Tourism Port Douglas Daintree Board of Directors.

If you’re a current financial TPDD member at Silver level or above and have an interest in contributing to the future of tourism across the Port Douglas Daintree region, we encourage you to consider nominating.

As a TPDD Director, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to the strategic direction of the organisation and support our work across destination marketing, destination management, industry development and advocacy, helping to strengthen a sustainable and competitive visitor economy.

Nominations are invited for:
• Port Douglas Zone Director
• General Director

Nominations close: 5.00pm on Wednesday 30 September 2026

Director eligibility criteria and further information:
👉 https://bit.ly/4iwe6bq

Nomination form:
👉 https://bit.ly/4h761az

Know someone who would make a valuable contribution to the TPDD Board? Please share this post with eligible members who may be interested in nominating.

09/09/2026

Protect Working Holiday Makers

TPDD supports maintaining the Working Holiday Maker program and is adding the voice of Port Douglas and the Daintree to the national campaign to protect it.

Working Holiday Makers are an important part of our regional visitor economy and workforce. They help tourism and hospitality businesses meet genuine seasonal workforce needs, while living locally, travelling throughout the region and spending within our businesses and communities.

We support maintaining the availability, current length of stay and mobility of Working Holiday Maker visas and ensuring the needs of regional tourism destinations are considered as the Federal Government reviews migration settings.

The potential impact of change is significant. New modelling commissioned by the Australian Tourism Industry Council estimates that restricting longer-stay Working Holiday Makers to less than 12 months could cost Queensland $462 million in annual visitor spending and 2,909 jobs.

TPDD is working alongside Queensland Tourism Industry Council - QTIC, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, and ATIC to support this coordinated national advocacy effort.

Now we’re asking our industry and community to add their voice.

👉 Sign the national petition calling for the availability, length of stay and mobility of Working Holiday Maker visas to be maintained.

👉 Share the petition with your staff, industry colleagues and networks to help demonstrate the importance of Working Holiday Makers to regional tourism communities.

https://www.change.org/p/protect-working-holiday-maker-backpacker-visas-in-australia

03/09/2026

Run Port Douglas – Road Closures this Saturday

A reminder that Run Port Douglas is taking place this Saturday 5 September, with changed traffic conditions and road closures in place across Port Douglas during the event.

We encourage local tourism operators and businesses to check the road closures ahead of Saturday, plan for any impacts to your operations, and make sure your staff and guests are aware of any changes that may affect their travel or access.

👉 Full road closure information and maps:
https://runportdouglas.com.au/festival-information/road-closures/

Please share this information with your teams and guests where relevant to help everyone plan ahead.

02/09/2026

TPDD Industry Networking Event

Join us at Cosmos Lounge Port Douglas for an afternoon of industry updates and networking with the local tourism community.

We’ll share an update on how the season is performing, the latest TPDD activity and priorities, and what’s ahead for the destination.

📅 Thursday 17 September | 4pm–6pm
📍 Cosmos Lounge, 26/9 Grant Street, Port Douglas

TPDD Members – Complimentary
Non-Members – $20

Canapés will be provided, with drinks available at bar prices.

Registration is essential by Monday 14 September.

👉 RSVP & get your ticket
https://events.humanitix.com/september-2026-tpdd-networking-event

We’d love to see you there!

01/09/2026

The countdown to Run Port Douglas is on!

This Saturday, 5 September, Run Port Douglas is here! Registrations are strong and runners are coming from near and far to take on an epic course showcasing Port Douglas, including iconic Four Mile Beach.

And you don’t need to be running to be part of the action. Locals, businesses and visitors are encouraged to line the course and cheer on the runners, and there’s a prize up for grabs for the best sign.

With a DJ at the finish line and lots of action along the Esplanade, it’s a great opportunity to get behind the event and give runners a Port Douglas welcome to remember.

Help us spread the word! If you have guests staying this weekend, make sure Run Port Douglas is on their radar. There’s still time to sign up and experience an epic run in paradise. 🏃‍♀️🌴

With national exposure around the event, it’s also a great opportunity for our community to showcase our region at its best.

And of course, a fitting congratulations to Run Port Douglas ambassador Andy Buchanan, who was crowned Australian Marathon Champion at the Sydney Marathon over the weekend! What a result - we look forward to welcoming him to Port Douglas this Saturday. 👏

Let’s get behind Run Port Douglas! 🌴🏃‍♀️

👉 Find out more: https://runportdouglas.com.au/

26/08/2026

A big win for Jungle Fowl – and for our destination food story 🌿

We’re thrilled to celebrate Jungle Fowl named among Gourmet Traveller’s Top 100 Restaurants in Australia for 2026 and one of just 15 Queensland restaurants to make this prestigious national list.

Even more impressively, Jungle Fowl is the only Queensland restaurant on the list north of the Sunshine Coast – an outstanding achievement and recognition of the quality and creativity being delivered right here in our region.

Food is such an important part of the Port Douglas Daintree visitor experience. We are incredibly fortunate to have a vibrant and diverse café and restaurant scene, talented chefs and hospitality teams, and access to an extraordinary array of tropical produce and local ingredients.

As we continue to build and celebrate our destination food story, recognition like this helps put our region firmly on Australia’s culinary map.

A huge congratulations to the entire Jungle Fowl team – we love seeing you represent Port Douglas Daintree on the national stage! 👏

Read Gourmet Traveller’s 2026 Restaurant Guide:
https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/dining-out/restaurant-guide/best-restaurants-australia-21192/

24/08/2026

Let's make sure Port Douglas and Daintree are well represented in these award categories! Nominate before August 31 🌿

There are only 10 days left to nominate for the 2026 TNQ Tourism Industry Excellence Awards.
• Young Achiever Excellence - This award recognises an individual under the age of 35 who has made a significant contribution to the tourism industry.
• Customer Service Excellence - Recognising excellence in customer service.
• Sustainable Tourism Excellence - This award recognises an individual or business that is a leader in sustainable tourism.
Submissions close on 31 August at 11.59pm.
https://tourism.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au/listing/event/tnq-tourism-industry-excellence-awards-2026/

17/08/2026

Port Douglas and Daintree making an impact down south 🌴

Over the past several weeks, Port Douglas & Daintree has been hard to miss across Melbourne, the primary focus of our July-August domestic campaign, with our fully wrapped tram, high-impact digital billboards and radio across Nova 100 and Smooth 91.5.

And behind these great images is some serious reach. Our Melbourne billboards were estimated to reach more than 1.1 million people, while our radio activity was estimated to reach 1.23 million.

In Sydney, supporting outdoor activity extended our presence into another important domestic market, with JCDecaux large format panels forecast to reach almost 473,000 people.

Our partnership with Ignite Travel Group and My Queensland is also live through to 30 August, providing the conversion layer – turning destination inspiration into bookable Port Douglas & Daintree holidays and experiences, with a focus on driving visitation and spend through our shoulder and lower periods.

This activity has been deliberately timed to support Spring – our greatest immediate opportunity to shift demand, drive visitation and strengthen the shoulder season.

A big thank you to all of our industry partners who participated in this destination-first campaign activity, helping us achieve incredible reach and make a strong impact in market, while preserving marketing funds to support our next major shoulder-season opportunity in Autumn 2027.

Destination marketing is an important part of destination management – supporting our visitor economy today while we plan for its future. Alongside this activity, TPDD continues to progress our Destination Management Plan, Events Strategy & Attraction Framework and other initiatives focused on the long-term development of the destination.

Driving demand today. Building the destination for tomorrow.
Take a look at Port Douglas & Daintree out in market 👇